‘Superman & Batman’ movie will follow ‘Man of Steel’

Warner Bros. is about to bring together two of its most iconic heroes: Superman and Batman will unite in a new film, the follow-up to “Man of Steel,” set for release in 2015.

According to two sources with knowledge of the movie, Warner Bros. intends to announce the news at its Comic-Con International panel Saturday morning. Said a Warner Bros. spokesperson, “We don’t comment on rumors regarding these properties.”

“Man of Steel” director Zack Snyder is expected to reunite with screenwriter David S. Goyer and star Henry Cavill for the new film. It’s unlikely Christian Bale will step back into the bat suit, as the actor has indicated publicly that he has moved on from his days as Bruce Wayne.

Exactly what I thought they should do...less set-up than a JL movie, but potentially bigger than The Avengers. The two most iconic superheroes of all time have never shared the screen in live action before. They're too big to be shoehorned into a JL movie.

The big question is--who's Batman? Bale? Gordon-Levitt? Or will they use this as a backdoor Batman reboot with a new actor in the role?

Superman doesn't need Batman's help with anything and Superman doesn't exist in his Universe; if he did there would be no need for a Batman.

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I don't agree. Even Superman can't stop every crime, and with his power, he'd tend to focus more on the big, cataclysmic stuff. It makes sense to have another hero or heroes focusing on street crime. Also, someone who operates with a lower profile than Superman can probably achieve things he can't.

Besides, it's not as if Bruce Wayne saw a vacancy and filled out a job application. He fights crime because he has a deep personal need to. So he's going to do it even if there is a Superman. He'd see his role as taking care of the crimes that are below Superman's radar.

It all goes back to Batman being a detective. He’s trained to observe people, to watch them, to know when they’re lying and what their true motivations are. Five minutes talking to Superman, and he’s going to understand that he’s not a guy who plans to gain the public’s trust and use that to declare himself King of the World. Batman’s going to understand that this is a guy who simply cannot stand by and let people suffer while he can do something to stop it. That’s something he can respect, because he’s the exact same way.

And yes, Clark Kent might hear about a six foot bat terrorizing the night in Gotham City and think this is something worth putting a stop to, but the first time Superman sees the lengths Batman’s willing to go to in order to protect the innocent and stop Crime from hurting other people, his doubts are gone. He’ll see the good in Batman, just like he sees the good in everyone else, no matter what kind of scary front they put up.

They are fundamentally two characters who are devoted to helping others, and I think that gives them a lot of common ground to bond over, even if they see the world through a different perspective.

Besides, even if you see Batman as the ruthless avenger who is vengeance, the night, etc., the Frank Miller character of Year One, consider this: Is there any conceivable reason that a tactician who went so far as to weaponize a swarm of bats would not want to have the most powerful person in the world in his back pocket? Seriously, can you even imagine the psychological edge that would give him over criminals?

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Anyway, I'd be a lot happier with this news if it weren't from Snyder and Goyer. Cavill as Superman, I love. But MoS got Superman horribly wrong in many ways, and the gratuitous and shallow excess of its final act turned me off of ever wanting to see a Snyder movie again. I'll be rather wary of this one as a result, which is a terrible shame, because I love the idea of a World's Finest movie.

Great, Snyder and Goyer are going to drag both heroes down together now (although Goyer and Nolan pretty much took Batman to rock bottom anyway). Based off of MoS, I'm guessing we'll see Batman grab a pistol and outright shoot someone in this movie. At this rate, there won't be a good live action DC superhero movie until Goyer is too old to write

Anyway, I'd be a lot happier with this news if it weren't from Snyder and Goyer. Cavill as Superman, I love. But MoS got Superman horribly wrong in many ways, and the gratuitous and shallow excess of its final act turned me off of ever wanting to see a Snyder movie again. I'll be rather wary of this one as a result, which is a terrible shame, because I love the idea of a World's Finest movie.

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Heh, you must not have seen Sucker Punch. Compared to that, MOS is the very model of restraint and good storytelling.

Hmm. Interesting. I suppose the thing will be whether it's truly a Batman & Superman movie or a Superman movie featuring Batman.

Just thinking off the top of my head - if the villain is Luthor perhaps Bruce Wayne comes to Metropolis to help with the reconstruction, discovers something shady going on and eventually he and Superman encounter each other?

Hmm. Interesting. I suppose the thing will be whether it's truly a Batman & Superman movie or a Superman movie featuring Batman.

Just thinking off the top of my head - if the villain is Luthor perhaps Bruce Wayne comes to Metropolis to help with the reconstruction, discovers something shady going on and eventually he and Superman encounter each other?

Interesting. One appealing aspect of this theory is that this is something that we have NEVER seen in live-action before: not in the serials, not on television, not in the movies. And, Lord knows, it was something that SMALLVILLE fans were constantly asking for. ("When are we going to see Bruce Wayne?" was something of an endless refrain on this very board and elsewhere.)

So, you can make a case that there's a pent-up demand to see Superman and Batman together on the big screen. (Remember that "Superman/Batman" billboard in the background of the most recent I AM LEGEND movie?)

Interesting. One appealing aspect of this theory is that this is something that we have NEVER seen in live-action before: not in the serials, not on television, not in the movies.

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You know, you're right? Superman wasn't even in the Legends of the Superheroes comedy specials that teamed Adam West and Burt Ward with other Justice Leaguers and villains. His movie franchise was starting up around that time, so the specials couldn't get the rights to use him (or Wonder Woman, who had her own show).

Batman was a frequent guest on the Superman radio show in the '40s, mainly filling in for Superman when Bud Collyer was on vacation. But other than that, they've only met in animation.

And, Lord knows, it was something that SMALLVILLE fans were constantly asking for. ("When are we going to see Bruce Wayne?" was something of an endless refrain on this very board and elsewhere.)